Grinding, polishing, finishing, and other type pads have long been used for various surface preparation tasks. This technology is typically employed on large machines, often rotary disk grinders, by fastening the grinding, polishing, or other pads to a mounting plate which in turn is fastened to the large machine (sometimes to a turntable on the large machine). Screws are typically used to fasten the pads to the mounting plate, and in order to avoid damaging the screws as the pads or inserts in the pads wear, those screws have been placed through the plate into the pad—with their screwheads on the machine side—hidden when mounted. Consequently, in order to replace worn out grinding pads or to accomplish changes in grit fineness for finishing, it is necessary to remove the entire mounting plate from the machine to get at the heads of the fastening screws for removal. This extra step adds time and complexity to the task of changing pads.